Russell Westbrook is back and possibly better than ever, and now the long climb officially begins for the Oklahoma City Thunder as they attempt to re-insert themselves as a contender in the loaded Western Conference.
In Friday night’s 105-78 home rout over the Knicks, Westbrook put up 32 points, eight assists and seven rebounds in 24 minutes — making him the first player in the shot-clock era to score at least 32 points and eight assists in a timeframe that short.

The Brooklyn Nets are 5-8 and trending in the wrong direction, having lost six of their last seven games. And coach Lionel Hollins seems very willing to hold players accountable for that slide, even in public settings.
Starting center Brook Lopez is averaging just 5.4 rebounds in 29 minutes, and lately, he’s found himself benched in fourth quarters, including Saturday’s 99-87 loss to the Spurs in San Antonio. Both Lopez and Hollins have been visibly frustrated by things.

Promoting one’s endeavors outside of the basketball arena is commonplace in the NBA. It happens all of the time. Whether it’s Dwyane Wade advertising for The Tie Bar, Chris Bosh hocking Mr. Nice Tie, Chandler Parsons pitching CP25 socks, Martell Webster championing his forthcoming rap album, LeBron James selling Beats by Dre or any athlete in the league selling their latest signature shoe, most players have things going on outside of basketball, and many use the success and popularity of

Unfortunately for the Oklahoma City Thunder, the basketball gods have decided to strike them in the worst possible way this season.
It all started when rookie Mitch McGary suffered a broken left foot during the preseason. Soon followed a devastating injury to Kevin Durant, who similarly suffered a broken right foot during the preseason, forcing him to miss the next 6-8 weeks. Then came news that Reggie Jackson sprained his ankle and Jeremy Lamb tweaked his back during practice. Both have

The NBA season is less than 24 hours away now. The New York Knicks are apparently not happy with their final roster. They traded Travis Outlaw to the Philadelphia 76ers for Arnett Moultrie on Monday, in which they immediately waived him.
The Knicks felt the need to add one more player after they waived Moultrie. No, it’s not Travis Wear. It’s Taylor Swift.
Okay, obviously not for real. But, honestly, she’s probably taller than Shane Larkin, one of their backup guards..

After spending last year in Spain, Lucas Nogueira is preparing for his first NBA season.
Lucas Nogueira, the Brazilian center that the undersized Atlanta Hawks shipped to the Toronto Raptors with Lou Williams for John Salmons and a second-round draft pick, is training with Hall of Fame center and two-time NBA Champion Hakeem Olajuwon.
Olajuwon, otherwise known as “Hakeem the Dream” — widely known for his indefensible “Dream Shake” in the low post, has helped many NBA athletes

Some prominent NBA athletes are still recuperating from injuries, taking necessary time off to recover, heal and rest from weariness and prolonged seasons that may have gone deep in the playoffs. Some, like Kobe Bryant and Steve Nash, among others, are in Brazil enjoying the 2014 FIFA World Cup. There are plenty, like LeBron James, who are on vacation, spending time with their families.
Still, there are those who are already hard at work, trying to improve for the 2014-15 NBA season.

There have been plenty of speculation on whether the “Big Three” in Miami will remain intact beyond this season.
LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh all have the ability to exercise an early termination option for next season to become unrestricted free agents. What they decide may depend largely on what happens in the Finals against the San Antonio Spurs, but there is another plan possibly in play.
Make it the “Big Four” by bringing in Carmelo Anthony.
It almost sounds crazy,